Iowa officials rush to action on surging propane prices

4:17 PM,
Jan. 27, 2014

Written by

Jason Noble
Des Moines Register

Elected officials in Iowa took steps Monday to confront surging propane gas prices that have walloped ratepayers trying to warm their homes in an unusually harsh winter.

Gov. Terry Branstad sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking his administration to suspend regulations, making it easier to bring propane to market. Lawmakers in the Iowa House, meanwhile, will seek $1 million in additional funding to help low-income Iowans heat their homes.

Skyrocketing prices have families in rural areas sealing off parts of their homes and potentially engaging in unsafe heating practices, ...